If there is not a “state actor,” then the First Amendment does not apply.
I’m not a First-Amendment scholar. There is literature and case law on this subject, but I wouldn’t be able to summarize it well. That said, I’m fairly certain that government officials pressuring private platforms to remove certain content would not implicate the First Amendment. But it is a closer call than the Trump situation.
And, to be clear, I’m not in favor of all forms of platform censorship. I’m simply defending this instance of banning Trump from Twitter.
Without question, this is a hard question. Too many rationalists assume it is easy.
Fair point re: #2, but the ultimate point is unchanged. For the same reasons that Less Wrong and SSC engage in content moderation, Twitter does the same. Banning Trump, on balance, will not be harmful.